Big 12 Basketball: Preview and Predictions for 2013-14 Season

Although you wouldn't know it from the offseason buzz, there are actually more than two players in Big 12 basketball for 2013-14. Yes, Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart (at left) and Kansas' Andrew Wiggins are both leading candidates for All-America honors, but there's more going on in this league than those two stars and their two high-profile teams.

One of the most dangerous sleeper teams in the country is defending NIT champion Baylor. If the Bears can get any production at all out of a backcourt held together with duct tape, Isaiah Austin and a terrific bunch of forwards will be good enough to win plenty of games.

Read on for more on Scott Drew's squad and the rest of the Big 12's 10 teams, presented in order of projected finish. You'll also find predictions for some of the league's award winners (including Player of the Year), along with a pick for who will be crowned Big 12 tournament champ.

5. Kansas State

Outlook: Replacing the steady backcourt of McGruder and Rodriguez will be a major hurdle for a team that already struggled on offense when they were still here.

The combination of burly Thomas Gipson inside and jump-shooters Shane Southwell and Will Spradling outside has real possibilities, but the Wildcats don't have the individual playmakers to be much more than a bubble team.

4. Iowa State

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Top Newcomers: G DeAndre Kane, G Matt Thomas

Key Losses: G Will Clyburn, G Tyrus McGee, G Korie Lucious

Outlook: Fred Hoiberg's transfer carousel keeps spinning with the explosive Kane, who arrives from Marshall to lead the Cyclones' high-octane offense (featuring scorers such as Georges Niang and top freshman Thomas).

The only interior muscle, though, comes from 6'6" Melvin Ejim (who will miss much of the non-conference schedule with a knee injury), and that fact will likely relegate ISU to another opening-weekend exit in March Madness.

1. Kansas

Outlook: For a team replacing its entire starting five—indeed, for any team—Kansas is absolutely loaded.

Top-rated recruit Wiggins leads the best freshman class outside of Kentucky (including the physical Selden and the shot-swatting Embiid) while returnees Perry Ellis and Naadir Tharpe will provide the experience to make the Jayhawks Final Four contenders yet again.

Freshman of the Year: Andrew Wiggins, Kansas

The best recruits in the Big 12 are pretty much all at Kansas this season, and the best of the lot is Andrew Wiggins.

Classmate Wayne Selden can score, and big Joel Embiid can play defense, but Wiggins can do pretty much everything at a high level.

The 6'7" SF is ranked No. 1 in the recruiting class (and widely projected as the No. 1 pick in next June's NBA draft) precisely because of his combination of a deep skill set and extraordinary athletic ability.

As the de facto heir to Ben McLemore as KU's top offensive option, he's a favorite for the conference scoring title, too.

Player of the Year: Marcus Smart, Oklahoma State

Marcus Smart is the only player in the country who can reasonably state that he could've been a top-five NBA draft pick last summer.

Despite his obvious pro credentials, the 6'4", 225-pound dynamo is back on campus, and he's going to annihilate every other point guard in the Big 12.

Even in his first collegiate season, Smart turned in the country's most impressive all-purpose stat line: 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

Nobody in this conference can come within 10 yards of his talent at the PG spot, and even Andrew Wiggins (himself a prospective No. 1 draft pick) won't dominate in all phases of the game to the degree that Smart will.